US Army accumulates $900 million in useless, obsolete parts

The eight-wheeled Stryker armored vehicle, which enjoyed a visible role during the US mission in Iraq, is now the subject of reports of a badly managed maintenance program that is likely to cost taxpayers something around a billion dollars.

According to Washington State's Tacoma News Tribune, nearly $900
million worth of parts accumulated at an Auburn, Washington
warehouse, essentially collecting dust as they were never installed
on General Dynamic’s Strykers deployed overseas - if they were ever
needed in the first place.

For example, a suspension issue that existed between 2007 and
2009 called for 15 replacement gears called pinions, though the
Army ultimately purchased 9,179 of the parts, with the extras
amounting to $572,000 in unneeded spending.

Another equally puzzling purchase came in the form of 7,568
units of gear netting -- while the Army kept purchasing more units,
costing a total of $892,896, there never existed a need for the
parts as replacements.

At question is also why at least some of the redundant purchases
were not put to good use in the building of new Stryker vehicles,
though according to the Department of Defense Inspector General a
“buyback charge” served as a disincentive for the
manufacturer to reuse at least some of those parts.

While the total sum of $900 million might pale in comparison to
the overall costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an
$18 billion shortfall due to Congressional efforts to curtail
military spending, and deep cuts across the board on the federal
government’s total budget are likely to make defense officials and
American taxpayers cringe at the waste.

Though the Stryker received generally positive reviews from
soldiers during its deployment in Iraq, and General Dynamics
maintained a large number of the twenty-ton vehicles at combat
readiness level, the massive sums of waste that neither the US Army
or General Dynamics seems to be able to account for have left
lawmakers concerned.

According to Washington's Senator Patty Murray, who heads the
Senate Budget Committee:

“At a time when important programs for military and civilian
families are facing serious cuts, it’s incumbent on General
Dynamics and the Army to come together to address the problems
raised in this report and to provide the accountability that the
American people deserve.”